Final answer:
The essential meaning of the original sentence is that the speaker's sorrow was not superficial and could not be easily dispelled by a short-lived experience, contrary to the father's intentions. None of the provided options accurately paraphrase this sentiment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best paraphrase of the sentence "If mine had been a sorrow to be chased away by any fleeting circumstance, this excursion would certainly have had the effect intended by my father" (76) is that if the speaker's sorrow could have been easily relieved by a simple event or change, then the outing planned by the speaker's father would have accomplished its purpose.
This means that the sorrow was more profound and could not be alleviated by such temporary measures. Considering the supplied options, we can deduce which one is the accurate restatement of the original sentence.
Option a. suggests that the excursion worked as intended for the speaker's father's sorrow, which is incorrect as the original sentence speaks about the speaker's sorrow. Option b. incorrectly emphasizes the father's inability to overcome sorrow by any circumstances, which is not mentioned in the original sentence. Option c. incorrectly implies that the excursion's intention had nothing to do with the father's sorrow, which again is not suggested in the original sentence.
Option d. does not clearly communicate that the speaker's sorrow was the subject, and it is inaccurately phrased. The correct option for the paraphrase is not directly provided in the choices. However, given the provided options, none perfectly encapsulate the nuanced meaning of the original sentence.